Finances
The 2017 Joint Power Agreement established the Initial Agency Funding Commitments for member agencies for the first two fiscal years of the GSA (FY17-18 and FY18-19). In June 2019, the Santa Rosa Plain GSA Board approved a Groundwater Sustainability Fee and a plan to offset fees calculated for all groundwater users in the Santa Rosa Plain, except for municipal pumpers, through 2022. In December 2019, the Groundwater Users Information Data Exchange Program (Ordinance No. 19-02) was approved. In July 2022, the Board approved an updated Groundwater Sustainability Fee of $40 per acre foot per year. Estimated impacts to various user classes are included in the table below.
| Total (after appeals) | 20,574.4 AF | 100% | $822,977 |
| User/Class of User | Total Estimated Extraction | Class % of Estimated Usage | User/Class Annual Impact |
| City of Cotati | 316.0 AF | 2% | $12,641 |
| City of Rohnert Park | 2,109.7 AF | 10% | $84,389 |
| City of Santa Rosa | 1,261.9 AF | 6% | $50,475 |
| City of Sebastopol | 1,008.3 AF | 5% | $40,330 |
| Town of Windsor | 50.0 AF | 0% | $2,000 |
| Sonoma Water | 591.5 AF | 3% | $23,661 |
| Sonoma State University | 185.1 AF | 1% | $7,404 |
| California-American Larkfield | 509.4 AF | 2% | $20,376 |
| Small Water Service Providers | 949.3 AF | 5% | $23,661 |
| Agricultural Irrigation | 6,391.3 AF | 31% | $255,653 |
| Turf Irrigation | 2,250.3 AF | 11% | $90,012 |
| Rural Residential Groundwater Users | 4,135.5 AF | 20% | $165,420 |
| Urban Residential Groundwater Users | 119.9 AF | 1% | $4,796 |
| Commercial Groundwater Users | 1,332.5 AF | 6% | $53,300 |
| Appeals Allowance | (636.3) AF | (3)% | ($25,453) |
The GSA Budget
The GSA Board of Directors must adopt its fiscal year budget 60 days before the end of the preceding fiscal year. Since the fiscal year begins
July 1 and ends June 30, the Board must adopt the next year’s budget by May 1 of each year. The GSA maintains strict accountability of all funds and reports all receipts and disbursements on a quarterly basis. A certified public accountant audits the GSA annually.
For fiscal year 2017-2018, approximately 22% of the budget was dedicated to developing the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP), as required by the SGMA. Between 2018-19 and 2021-2022, an increasingly larger portion of the budget was dedicated to the GSP as the GSA spent more time developing the Plan and less time on formational documents, like bylaws and a charter.
Beginning in 2022-23, the GSA budget will focus on implementation of the projects, programs and management actions described in the GSP.